Wii Fit is Here!

I asked Jim to get me a Wii for my birthday last year. At the time, they were difficult to find due to a shortage(they may still be difficult to find, but since I'm not currently looking for one, I don't know). ANYWAY, after some trouble, Jim managed to scare one up on Craig's List.

The primary reason I wanted the Wii is because I was told they were going to bring out an exercise program that worked with it. I later discovered that the Wii Fit program was not coming out until May 2008.

It's here! It comes with a little step platform that you can stand on. It weighs you and calculates your BMI based on your height and weight. It takes you through 4 types of workouts: Yoga, Strength, Balance, and Aerobic. I was skeptical at first, but it's really fun. The Yoga program is great because the platform tracks your center of balance and you work to align your body properly by keeping a dot on the screen within a certain area. It's challenging and you have the satisfaction of knowing you are holding the pose correctly.

I also like the step aerobics. You follow the footsteps as you step and kick on the platform. I made it to the advanced program today. I must admit, I really chuckled at the warning drawings at the beginning showing someone stepping off of the edge of the platform and falling. About halfway through the program, I almost fell! You really get going at one point, and I wasn't careful about my footing.

The strength and yoga workouts provide you with a trainer (you get to select male or female). The trainer says encouraging things, like "Great Job!" I really enjoy it when I totally fail to stand on one foot and have to step down and the trainer still says "Great Job!" Unfortunately, the trainer's mouth doesn't really move, so he's a little creepy when he's talking. You can make him shut up by pressing the A button to move him along. He can be a little wordy at times and he is very repetitive. I've been told about 100 times that doing yoga will build my core strength. Unless there will be a test later, I would rather get right to the workout.

You are rated on how well you perform. I'm a yoga master at most of the poses (having taken yoga and pilates for quite a while), but a workout novice at most of the strength activities.

All of your progress is tracked on the program. You can see how your BMI and weight has changed, set goals for yourself and keep track of how much time you spend working out. I've been using the program every day since I got it, so we'll see how long it keeps me entertained. So far, it's pretty fun!